Evolution of Humankind:
Qur’anic Concepts and Scientific Theories
By Shah Manzoor Alam
The Qur’an endorses the basic concept of evolution, and both scientists and the Qur’an agree that humankind is the limax of creation. The scientists claim that humans are at the apex of an evolutionary process. The Qur’an declares humankind to be a unique creation of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’la), superior to all living creatures and divinely gifted with unmatched qualities.
Scientists assume that the living state arose from the non-living through biogenesis that has now ceased to operate to operate. They consider the evolution of life both simple and complex as the outcome of errors, accidents, and chance and not due to any divine design.
Charles Darwin’s theory of human evolution in his book Origin of Species, highlighted the glaring inaccuracies in the account on creation in the Book of Genesis. Darwin advocated a mechanistic and automatic system of ‘Natural Selection’ leading to evolution of living beings with no room for divine guidance and design in the production of living plants and animals, including humankind on earth.
Overcome by their firm faith in Darwin’s ideas, the succeeding generation of biologists and anthropologists have approached Islam through the same preconceived notions and refuse to accepts any other viewpoint. Darwin’s theory places humankind in the company of apes simply because they have common anatomical features. Evolutionists claim that Homo sapiens descended from Oreopithecus (Tuscany), Ramapithecus (Punjab, India), and Kenyapithecus (East Africa) who lived around 10-13 million years ago. They say that Home sapiens are direct descendants of the Southern Man-Apes, the Australopithecus who lived at least five to one million years ago. This Australopithecus had two species: robustus (Parabthropus) and africanus (transvaalensis) and humans descended from the africanus. This gave birth to Homo habilis, followed by Homo erectus, eventually leading to Homo sapiens some 300,000 years ago. However, the latest finds are now placing Homo erectus and Homo sapiens in the same era.
The scientists say that since the emergence of Homo sapiens, phyletic evolution in humans has stopped. Controversies that exist over the various finds and theories render the entire evolution idea debatable. The scientists believe in the role played by natural selection but cannot explain how their ape-man shifted to walking on feet alone. The pace of evolution assumed by Darwin would require over a million years for any evolution.
The entire theory is based on fragmentary evidence consisting of specimens of skulls and scattered bones. No one has found a complete skeleton yet. None of the ancestors that have been assigned to humans survive. At best scientists are drawing definitive conclusions from inconclusive evidence, merely based on probabilities. The missing links are too many and evidence leads to such conflicting directions that human evolution cannot be conclusively established.
Creation of Humankind: The Qur’anic Concept – it was over 1,400 years ago, that the Qur’an proclaimed the concept of the evolution of life from inorganic substances. According to the Qur’an, three distinct categories of living beings — animals, humans and jinn originated from three distinctly different inorganic substances. The jinn were formed out of fire long before the formation of atmospheric gases and terrestrial life. Allah says: “We created man from sounding clay, from mud molded into shape. And the jinn we had created before from the fire of scorching winds.” (Qur’an 15 : 26-27) again is 55 : 14-15, it is stated that Allah created the human being from sounding clay as the one used in pottery-making, and he created jinn from fire free from smoke. The Qur’an (21 : 130), declaring “We have created from water everything…” clearly endorses that all terrestrial living beings have evolved out of water.
The Qur’an, however, distinguishes between the evolution of animal life and the creation of humankind. It points out that animals continued to evolve out of inorganic compounds formed in water, whereas humankind ceased to do so. Allah “has created every animal from water:” Of them there are some that creep on their bodies; some that walk on two legs, some that walk on four, verily Allah has power over all things.” (24 : 45).
Humankind shares common origin with the animals to the extent it also originated from water, but did not evolve out of it. It contrast to the animals and jinn, Adam was created from a clay like mold or clay like inorganic compound, as the one used in making pottery.
All living beings whether terrestrial or celestial are created out of three different inorganic compounds. Consequently each of them possess distinctly different growth characteristics, evolutionary processes and life cycles. In the course of time because of distinct divine design, the inorganic compounds leading to the animal world and humankind were separated. Despite the anatomical similarities, humans and animals differ in physical forms and behavior. Moreover, the human intellect distinguishes him from animals and jinn.
The Qur’an does not support the hypothesis of simultaneous evolution of humankind in varying geographical areas. Instead, Adam (Allayhi as Salaam) was the prime ancestor of all humankind. “It is he who created you from a single person.” (4 : 1). While Adam’s mate was made out his mold and the two were the original progenitors of Homo sapiens or humankind. Allah says “from this single soul created of like nature his mate and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women. (4 : 1).
In 32 : 7-8, it is stated that Allah “began the creation of man with (nothing more than) clay and made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid despised.” Despite this humble beginning, humankind and animals are not lumped together as part of the overall evolutionary process. Man, being the climax of his creation, was made out of “quintessence (of clay and “in the best of molds.” (23 : 12). To distinguish humans from the rest of the living being Allah “fashioned him in due proportion and breathed into him something of his spirits.” (32 : 9).
Contrary to the claim of the “natural selection” theorists, the Qur’an is clear how humans were gifted with power to read and write, qualities that placed them even superior than the angels who were asked to prostrate before Adam, the first human being. Allah “taught Adam the nature of all things; then he placed them before the angels, “tell me the nature of these if you are right. They said glory to thee of knowledge we have none save what thou hast taugh us.” (2 : 31-32. In the first verses revealed to prophet Muhammed ( salla Allah ‘alayhi wa sallam) he was told to “proclaim and thy lord is most bountiful – he who taught (the use of) the pen, taught man that he knew not…”(96 : 3 – 5) Similarly, another unique gift, the power to articulate and speak is mentioned in LV : 3-4: “He has created man. He has taught him speech (and given him intelligence).”
Manifestation of Divine Creative Power in Birds and Fish: The qualities that Allah has endowed upon the animal world are equally revealing of his supreme creative powers. For instance the migratory prowess of the birds and fish. Birds often navigate and fly four to five thousand miles during changes in weather, guided by celestial objects, the sun and the stars. Such skills cannot be explained through an evolutionary or natural selection process and the only answer is that these are divinely endowed.
The fish are endowed with similar skills of travel and directional orientation. The eels are an excellent example. They are born in the Sargasso Sea and at age two and a half to three years they swim upstream in fresh water to stay there for 10-15 years when they transform to silver eels and finally return to their spawning grounds in Sargasso Sea to die.
The Qur’an endorses the concept of evolution from non-living to living and that all living objects have originated from water. However, it does not endorse the theory that humans evolved from animals.
No theory can be valid unless it answers basic issues. The evolutionary theory cannot satisfactorily answer that skills like human intelligence, speech, reading and writing were acquired through a process of natural selection. This theory is simply an excuse for denying divine involvement in the creation. The scientists dismiss humankind as product of a self-generating automotive process whereas Allah has designated humankind as his supreme creation capable of acquiring knowledge of the unknown both on earth and in space and altering its environment to its needs. The immense intellectual and technological achievements of humankind stand as an eloquent testimony to correctness of the Qur’anic concept regarding the status of humans as distinct from animals and angels.
The Qur’an (27 : 105) is emphatic that it provides the truth and scientists will only discover the truth if they direct their research in the directions furnished by this book.